NEPA Sports Nation

District 2 recap – Wednesday, 4/5

The busiest day of the season so far featured action in every spring sport. Find all the scores at: Wednesday’s District 2 scores – NEPA Sports Nation.

Here are some of the day’s highlights:

MAIN EVENT

Freddy Ceccacci’s two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted Holy Cross to an 8-7, Lackawanna League Division 2 baseball victory over Riverside in a rematch of last year’s District 2 Class 2A baseball championship game.

The Crusaders repeated their upset victory when, as the sixth-seed, they knocked off top-seed and defending champion Riverside, 4-1. In the latest victory, Holy Cross topped the No. 1 Small School in this season’s first Riverfront Sports Super Six Baseball Power Rankings of District 2 teams.

TOP PERFORMERS

Brett Antolick, Hazleton Area baseball – Antolick went 3-for-3 with a double, triple and five RBI in a 10-6, Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 baseball victory over previously unbeaten Dallas in a meeting of ranked teams.

Alexa Gasek, Wyoming Area softball – The freshman struck out seven and walked three in a four-inning no-hitter during an 18-0 rout of Hanover Area in the WVC Division 2 game. She also went 2-for-2 with a double, triple and two RBI.

Keegan Litts, North Pocono baseball – Litts had a double, triple and three RBI in an 11-4 win over Scranton Prep in a Lackawanna Division 1 baseball game.

Kevin Lockett, Pittston Area, track and field – Lockett won the long jump and triple jump, anchored the winning 1600-meter relay and came within four feet of a win while finishing second in the javelin during an 80-65 win over Wyoming Valley West.

Maura Michalczyk, Dunmore girls track and field – Michalczyk won four events and broke her own school record by clearing 10-6 in the pole vault in a 79-66, Lackawanna Track Conference Division 3 victory over Carbondale. Michalczyk also won the long jump, triple jump and 110-meter hurdles.

Peter Modrovsky, Honesdale baseball – Modrovsky struck out 11 in a one-hitter as Honesdale defeated Lakeland, 3-1, in Lackawanna Division 2 baseball.

Maranda Runco, Mid Valley softball – Runco struck out 11 of 12 batters she faced in a four-inning perfect game to lead a 15-0 rout of Dunmore. She was 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs and two RBI. The Villanova commit had her 100th career hit.

KEY CONTRIBUTORS

Mackenzie Adolfson, Mid Valley softball – Batting from the seventh spot in the order, Adolfson supported Runco’s perfect game by going 3-for-3 with two doubles, two runs and four RBI.

Mark Nilsen, Wallenpaupack baseball – Nilsen came on in relief to work three perfect innings with four strikeouts to close out a 4-2 win at Scranton.

Christopher Ramos-Aarev Gupa, Wyoming Seminary boys tennis – William Hall and Ansareli Atabayev did not lose a game while taking the first two singles matches, but it was the point Ramos and Gupa pulled out in a third set tiebreaker at first doubles that allowed the Blue Knights to hand Crestwood its first loss in four Wyoming Valley Conference matches. Ramos-Gupa won 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5).

Grant Russo, Hazleton Area baseball – Russo went 2-for-2 with two doubles, three walks and four runs scored in the win over Dallas.

Jack Wasiakowski, Holy Redeemer boys volleyball – Wasiakowski had 24 assists, 8 service points and 2 kills as the Royals swept Wyoming Valley West, 25-14, 25-13, 25-13, in a WVC match.

TOP DEVELOPMENTS

Abington Heights defeated Holy Cross, 5-0, at the University of Scranton in a battle for the Lackawanna League boys tennis lead. The result left Abington Heights at 8-0, Delaware Valley at 6-0 and Holy Cross at 6-1, behind Scranton Prep and Valley View, both at 7-1. Praneel Mallaiah, Sam Christman, Domenic Peters and the first doubles team of Luke Morgan-Pranav Palle all won in straight sets.

Crestwood’s loss left Wyoming Area and defending champion in a two-way tie for the WVC boys tennis lead at 4-0. Three-set victories by Dylan Stoss at No. 1 singles an Eli Harding-Nick Cirelli at No. 2 doubles allowed Wyoming Area to defeat MMI Prep, 4-1. Lucas Carver, Luca DeRome and Jon Florencio won all but four games in six singles sets as Dallas defeated Berwick, 4-1.

GET THE PICTURE

Tim Drewes was at PNC Field to capture photos from the baseball doubleheader of Holy Redeemer-Wyoming Seminary and Holy Cross-Riverside. See the Photo Gallery at: High School Baseball Photo Gallery – NEPA Sports Nation.

QUICK HITS

Wyoming Valley West used a doubles sweep by Max Saporito-Murphy Pick and Isaac Bolan-Jake Novrocki to defeat Wilkes-Barre Area, 3-2, in WVC boys tennis.

Mia Tallo’s RBI single in the bottom of the seventh lifted West Scranton over Delaware Valley, 6-5, in Lackawanna Division 1 softball.

Delaware Valley outscored Lake-Lehman 7-0 in each of the first two quarters for a 16-4 WVC boys lacrosse romp.

A.J. Levandoski struck out 10 in West Scranton’s 8-2 Lackawanna Division 1 baseball victory over Delaware Valley.

Tommy Clark and Cory Domiano each won two individual and two relay events as Dunmore routed Carbondale, 118-24, in an LTC Division 3 boys track and field meet.

BY THE NUMBERS

In only four innings with which to work in the Mercy Rule victory, the top seven batters in the Mid Valley order all had at least two hits. Kat Davis, Chiara Zavislak, Courtney Rebar, Madison Kizer and Krista Cortazar joined Adolfson and Runco.

QUOTABLE

Abington Heights boys tennis coach Art Comstock: “This was a fun match. Two good teams and the tennis was very high level. I am very proud of how my players responded to a challenging test.”

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